Computer Programming

Learning languages are among the most popular U3A courses and this would be similar in many ways. The key difference is that you’d learn how to talk to a machine instead of another person. Anyone can do it at any age! In a nutshell, it involves breaking down what you want to do into small steps and then thinking logically about them. Imagine making a cup of coffee. What steps would you have to follow? In what order? Computer programs are nothing more than a series of instructions (steps) you give to the machine, and, lo, it will obey your commands

There are other differences and similarities with learning a foreign language. I propose that we learn a bit of a language called Python – probably the most popular and easily learnt one out there. Python only has 35 key words, the great majority being simple English. And we’d probably only bother with about a third of them. 

Just like human languages, it has a syntax, again, not very complicated, and a grammar – a few simple rules to follow. It sounds too easy, so let me temper that by saying that the trick is in analysing the task, (think: boil an egg), reducing it to the simplest steps and then using those to build an application, for example, a mobile phone app. No, your phone won’t be able to boil an egg, but it would be able to issue the instructions on how to do so, perhaps even with appropriate pictures. You will be able to see the results of your endeavours!

 Some apps can be built with very few lines of code, which is exactly where we will concentrate our efforts.  Just like human languages, it takes practice. Unlike human languages, you don’t need another person to have conversation with. You do that with your computer, and you can stop and start without having to be polite!

Have a go at this course if:

You want the mental stimulation, similar to learning a foreign language,

       You want to try something different and creative, (we will look at some of the more ‘artistic’ things you              can do with programming),

You value thinking logically, 

 You want a new, deeper understanding of the digital world, and

You enjoy a very visible sense of accomplishment!"